Aeroplane guiding and bomb-dropping appliance.



E. E. HENDERSON.

AEROPLANE GUIDING AND BOMB DROPPING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC- 26,1917. 1,294,907. Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

a SHEETS-SHEU 1.

ATTORNEYS E. E. HENDERSON.

AEROPLANE GUIDING AND BOMB DROPPING APPLIANCE.

. APPLICATION FILED DEC- 26, 19H- 1,294,907.

Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J m M m m 6 m %V/ 7///// V mvmrore EEAQIIZE/vo/Y WIITNESSES A TTORNEYS E. E. HENDERSON.

AEROPLANE GUIDING AND BOMB DROPPING APPLIANCE.

Patented Feb. 18. 1919.

a SHEELS-SHEET 3.

APPLICATION FILE D DEC- 26| 19H.

WITNESSES mvsman Jul/3W4? Ff/imson EDWARD nmmnrr HENDERSON, or nA'LLowELL, KANSAS.

AEROPLANE GUIDING D BOMB-DROPPING APPLIANCE.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 18, 1919.

Application filed December as, 1917. Serial No. 209,007.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD E. HENDER- soN, a citizen of theUnited States, and a resident of Hallowell, inthe county of Cherokee and State of Kansas, have invented a new and Improved Aeroplane Guiding and Bomb-Dropping Appliance, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. J

This invention relates to an appliance for aeroplanes whereby an observer can communicate to his. pilot, by an indicating de-' vice, the manner of guiding the aeroplane for bombin or photographing any target or other se ected place, the apparatus 1ncluding a telescope sight which the observer maintains on the target and thereby operates an indicating device which is conveniently positioned to the pilot so that he can steer the aeroplane in the proper course.

The invention has for its general objects to provide an apparatus of this character which is reliable and eflicient in use, easily manipulated and of durable and compact design.

A more specific object of the invention .is

the provision of a sighting device mounted to swing on a vertical or horizontal axis so that any desired target can be sighted, and by suitable transmittting means leading from the telescoping sight to a pilots indicatorthe movable element of the latter can be actuated in synchronism with the mov able sight and thereby reveal to the pilot the direction he is to steer for bringing the airship to a point over the target where bombs can be accurately dropped or photographs taken.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for automatically controlling the dropping of a bomb or taking of a photograph when the telescope sight reaches a certain angle in pointing downwardly on the target.

With such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a front view of the observers telescope sighting apparatus with a telescope sight pointing downwardly and the gimbal yoke in section; or W W V 7 Fig. 2 is a side view with portions in section;

Fig. 3 is a-detail sectional view on the line 3-3, Fig. l;

Fig. 4=-is a central vertical section ofthe head in which the telescope mounted;

Fig. 5 is. a view of the switch end of the head;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing the details of the automatic switch;

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic plan view of the apparatus as installed on an aeroplane;

Fig. '8 is a view of the outer end of the telescope sight and the leveling device thereon;

Fig. 9 is afdia-grammatic View showing an aeroplane in several different positions in its approach to a target when guided by the observers si hting device.

Referring to t e drawing, A, Fig. 7, designates a sighting apparatus adapted to be used by an observer on an aeroplane, B an indicator arranged within the view of and adjacent to the pilot so as to enable him to steer the flying machine to the target or object the observer is sighting; and associated with the apparatus A is a switch C for controlling electric circuits for dropping bombs or taking photographs at successive times when the sighting device is in 65. sight shaft is a predetermined position with respect to the object or target. D indicates the system of cable connections between the apparatus A and the indicator B, whereby the motion 5 provided with journal-receiving openings 6. Suspendedfrom the side members 7 of the frame 4 is a perpendicular-like body or pendant member 8 having, at its top ears 9 for connection with the frame 4:. This member 8 forms a support or bearing for a vertical shaft 10 on which the head 11 swings in a horizontal plane. The head 11 shaft 12 arranged at right-angles to the.

' a vertical plane or in a horizontal plane, or.

. tilted.

' To facilitate the leveling of the telescope is disposed above the yoke or frame 8, and

axially disposed inthe head is a horizontal shaft 10 and carrying the cradle frame 13 on which the telescope sight 14 is mounted. By'reason of this disposition of the shafts 10 and 12 the telescope sight can swing in in' planesintermediate these two so that the sight can be pointed in any direction, and by reason of the'gimbal frame 4 it is possible to maintain the shaft 12 always in a hori: zontal plane, even though the aeroplane be sight a spirit level 15 is carried by the outer end 'of the sight 14, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 8, there being a bracket or horizontally extending arm 16 on the sight to adjustably support the holder 17 for the spirit level.

. By means of a set-screw '18 the spirit level can be moved inwardly or outwardly so that the central index line 19 will, by reason of cam 33 which engages the tooth 34 of the double vision, coincide with the vertical one of the crossing hair lines 20 of the sight, this relation being indicated by the dotted outline of the spirit level, FigJS. i

The swivel head 11 comprises a stationary tubular portlon 21, to which the shaft 10 is rigidly fastened, and on this portion 21 are caps 22 and 23,;the former being rotatable and the latter stationary. The head 22 includes a porcelain or other insulating part 24 WlllCh forms a support for the parts of the automatic switch which is located within the head 11. The shaft 12 rotates in the caps and turns in only one direction by reason of j a ratchet wheel 25 on the'shaft and a springp ii'essed pawl 26 on the cap '23, as shown in gs. 3 and 4.

"The automatic switch in the head 11 comprises a fixed contact 27 and a movable contact 28 fulcrumed at 29 on the insulating support 24, which latter is fastened to the cyl ndrical part 30 of the cap 22 by bolts 31 whlch pass through an internal annular flange 32 of the sleeve 30 and through the in sulat ng support 24. On the shaft 12 is a movable contact 28 and holds the latter raised until the tooth 34'drops off the high part of the cam 33, when the contacts 27 and 728 w1ll be engaged to close an electric circuit that controls an electric release for a bombdropplng device or an electrically-operated device of a cam; The'timeat which the cam 33 will permit the circuitto close is determined with respect to the declination. of the telescope s1ght-14, and this angle of inclination can be adjusted by the aid of a scale 34 on the fixedpart 21 of the head 11 and an index 35 carrled Joy the rotatably adjustable cap 22. By adjusting the cap with respect to the scale the position of the movable contact 28' with respect to the cam 33 can be va' ried. In arriving at the proper adjustment it is necessary to consider the speed of travel of the aeroplane and its altitude with respect to the target, so that the bomb will be released at a proper time before-the target, is reached, to cause the,bomb to travel on the right curve in dro ping upon the target.

The indicating evice B- comprises a dial 36 which is fixed on the aeroplane frame at a point within convenient view of the pilot,

and over this index moves a hand 37 which is operatively' connected with the head 11 so .-'that the swing of the telescope sight in a horizontal plane or on a vertlcal axis willcause the hand 37 to change with respect to the index cross 38, the operative connection being brought about by meansof the transmission system D. On the vertical shaft 10 of the apparatus vA, or connected with the head 11, is a pulley .39- to which is fastened an endless cable 40 that runs through a passage 41 in one of the journals 3, as shown in Fig. 2, there bein suitably arranged guide pulleys 42 and 43 or guiding the cable, The cable 40 extends laterally from the apparatus A, as shown in Fig. 7, and passes around a pulley 44, and from this pulley 44 extends another endless cable 45 which passes around a pulley 46 connected with the needle 37 on the indicator B.

The contacts 27 and 28' of the automatic switch are connected with wires 47 and 48, which, for convenience, pass through the pendant member 8 and run therefrom through the journal 3 opposite from that through which passes the cable 40, the Wires being connected with an observers controlling switch 49 which is connected in any suitable manner with electrically-operated bomb-releasing devices 50 suggested, but not shown in detail. The movable contact switch 49 is movable successively to diflerent positions for dropping the successive bombs, one bomb being dropped at a time when the telescoping sight is sighted on an object and is in the proper angle of inclination. After a bomb is dropped the switch 49 is moved to bring the next bomb-releasing device into server sights the apparatus A against the target, which causes the indicating needle 37 to assume a position parallel withthe telescope sight 14. The pilot noting the position of the indicating needle 37 with respect. to the cross 38 steers the aeroplane in one direction or the other to bring the hand 37 back to the cross 38. The steering of the aeroplane does not cause the needle 37 to shift, but the observer by maintaining the sighting device trained on the target causes the in icating needle to move with respect to the cross 38 as the body of the aeroplane shifts. In positions 6, c, and d it will be noted that the aeroplane is heading more and more toward the target and the needle 37 approaches nearer and nearer to the index cross 38, and as the aeroplane is headed directly atthe target the sighting device is pointed more and more toward a perpendicular position, until finally the electric switch closes to cause a bomb to be dropped or a picture to be taken. Fig. 9 shows the airship steered to the left, but the apparatus works in a similar manner when the steeringis to the right.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages 'of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the apparatus which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An apparatus for signaling between an observer and a pilot of an areoplane, comprising an observers sighting device, means for mounting the device to point in any di rection, an indicator for guiding the pilot in steering and including a movable element, means for actuating the element by the movement of the sighting device laterally in elther direction, and means automatically set ofi by the movement of the sighting device when the aeroplane is in a predetermined position with respectto an object sighted for photographing or bombing such ob ect.

2. An apparatus of the class described comprising an observers sighting device, means for mounting the device to turn on a horizontal axis, means for mounting the device to turn on a vertical axis, a pilots indicator for guidance in steering, said indicator including a dial and movable element, and motion-transmitting means between the second-mentioned means and movable element, whereby the swinging of the sighting device on a vertical axis operates the said element.

3. An apparatus of the class described comprising an observers sighting device, means for mounting the device to turn on a horizontal'axis, means for mounting the de-. vice to turn on a vertical axis, a pilots indicator for guidance in steering, said indicator including a dial and movable element, mo tiony-transmitting means between the secondmentioned means and movable element, whereby the swinging-of the sighting device on a vertical axis operates the said element, and an electric switch associated with the device for afi'ecting a controlling V circuit when the sighting device is moved to a predetermined angle of inclination.

4. An apparatus of the class described com risin an observers si htin device a P g g a vertical shaft on which the device ismounted, a head in which the shaft is rotatably mounted, a supporting structure on which the head is mounted to turn on a vertical .axis, a pilots indicating device including a movable element for assisting in steering, and a cable and pulley system between the said head and the movable element, whereby the movement of the head moves the latter.

5. An apparatus of the class described comprising a head, a frame mounted to swing on a horizontal axis, means for mountinghthe head to turn on a vertical axis, a sig ting device carried by the head to turn on a horizontal axis, a level connected with the sighting device, a pilots indicator includmg a movable element, and means for actuatm the element by the movement of the he on its turning axis.

6. An apparatus of the class described comprising a plurality of supports, a frame journaled on the supports to swing on a horizontal axis, a pendant member carried by the 'frame, a head pivoted on the member to turn in a vertical plane, an observers sighting device pivotally mounted on the head to turn on a horizontal axis, a pilots indieating device for assisting the steering and including a movable element, and means actuating the movable element by the move- 'ment of the head on its vertical axis.

rnwu'in EMMETT HENDERSON. 

